No. 6 Carrollton chooses path of most resistance

CARROLLTON - This year&#39;s reclassification left Carrollton needing to schedule five non-region games. The dilemma for Trojans coach Rayvan Teague was whether to try and find some easy wins or look for some challenges that might make his team better at playoff time.<br> <br> Teague decided to go with Plan B, scheduling Newnan, which made it to the Class AAAAA semifinals last year, traditional Class AAAA power Dalton, 1999 Class AAA state champion Oconee County, local rival Bowdon and Class AAAAA Fayette County.<br> <br> ``We wanted to have good crowds and make a good environment to play ball in,&#39;&#39; Teague said. ``We wanted to play bigger schools that were going to challenge us and then try to renew as many potential rivalries with quality programs as we could with that in mind. If we play a tough schedule, it can only make us better, as long as we don&#39;t get anybody hurt.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> After starting the season at 2-0 with wins over Dalton (7-0) in Week 1 and Newnan on Friday (14-7), Teague can rest easy. With Carrollton ranked sixth in the current Associated Press poll and playing this well against top tier competition, it&#39;s the rest of Class AAA that appears to be in trouble.<br> <br> ``To be 2-0 is a good thing,&#39;&#39; Teague said. ``More importantly though, we&#39;re getting better. And we want to continue that growth pattern so that we&#39;re at our best come region and then even better come playoff time.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Already in two games, the Trojans have clearly improved in some areas that were concerns coming into the year.<br> <br> The offensive line, where five of six starters are new, played a big role in Carrollton&#39;s win over Newnan. The play of freshman Nick Craig, sophomores John Durham, Ryan Lee, Thomas Bush and seniors Nick Ivey and Levere Alexander up front was crucial in helping the Trojans sustain an eight minute drive to run out the clock at the end of the game. Teague credits the success of the young linemen to Carrolton&#39;s feeder system, which has gone a combined 38-2 the past two seasons while running the exact offense the varsity squad runs.<br> <br> ``Our DBs were worn out and cramping up,&#39;&#39; Teague said of his defensive backfield. ``They just couldn&#39;t go anymore. So we needed to hold onto the ball, and our line just knocked off a much bigger Newnan defensive front there and just gashed them in the fourth quarter kind of broke their will and pushed them around.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> On defense, linebacker was the only major area of inexperience for Carrollton coming into the season, with leading tackler Michael Hilbert graduating and Ryan Bridges moving to safety. Sophomore Rashad Briskey stepped up against Newnan, making big tackles and tipping several passes from quarterback Tyler Horne.<br> <br> Senior fullback Sanchez Houston benefited from the stepped up effort by the offensive line. Houston rushed for his second straight 100-yard plus game last Friday, carrying the ball 21 times for 125 yards. Houston started several games as a sophomore when Stan Rowe was sidelined with a fractured ankle in 2002. In the two years since, Houston has worked hard in the weight room to build his strength while also increasing his speed by running track.<br> <br> Senior quarterback Blake Caldwell is coming off a big summer where he was successful at several passing camps. After being grounded by rain against Dalton, Caldwell got into his rhythm against Newnan, completing 6 of his 11 attempts for 73 yards. The summer passing camps also helped the Carrollton secondary, evidenced by the Trojans&#39; three interceptions against Newnan. Cornerback Josh Young had two of the picks last Friday, both of which stopped Newnan drives near the Carrollton goal line.<br> <br> In addition to the secondary, Carrollton is also extremely strong on the defensive line this year with nose guard Dan Hudson and tackle Jeff Horton. Hudson made 12 tackles against Dalton and Horton has been a big play maker early on; both seniors have brought renewed athleticism and aggressiveness to Carrollton&#39;s defensive front.<br> <br> From here, Carrollton will have to go through another opponent with a storied history to get to 3-0. Oconee County will visit Grisham Stadium Friday in what will be the Trojans&#39; home opener.<br> <br> ``Our problem is we don&#39;t have time to sit around and pat ourselves on the back,&#39;&#39; Teague said, ``because I loaded up this schedule. And then, when we start region play, we kick it off with Cedartown right out of the gate. That&#39;s just part of being in 6-AAA. But I do think that these five non-region games are going to help us be prepared for region ball.&#39;&#39;